Title: Hello. This is ‘Returner’.

Looking at the posts going up on the community lately, I noticed there’s been a lot of talk about my identity. First of all, I’d like to thank all of you who have shown me undeserved attention and support.

To get straight to the point, as some of you have guessed in the community, I am Heo Sungshik, the 7-star Superhuman of Korea. Just as one of you speculated, thanks to my trait, I was able to rise to 7-stars through rapid growth not long ago. I even made it onto the world rankings.

My recent activity in China was made possible thanks to this growth trend. Many people praised me after watching the video, and I feel like I’m receiving more attention than I deserve. I still feel that I have a long way to go 🙂 I will work harder and become the best Superhuman.

That’s all for my thanks. Now, I’ll move on to what I really want to say.

As you saw this time, Gates exhibit a phenomenon called ‘Rampage’ when certain conditions are met. A Gate Rampage of this scale, or even larger, could happen again at any time. Judging by the steadily increasing frequency of Gate appearances, it won’t be long before something like this happens again. It’s even possible that a massive Gate Break could occur, one that threatens the very survival of humanity.

We must always be cautious and vigilant about this.

Thank you.

It was a lengthy post. Sungshik subtly warned of the Gate Breaks that could come in the future. Among the Superhumans who read the post, there would surely be those who take his words seriously.

‘It’s different from the beginning.’

Unlike immediately after regression, when his words carried no authority, things were different now. He had posted about the cause of the recent Gate Rampage and had shown signs that he somewhat predicted this incident.

On top of that, his strength was now proven to the point of being ranked on the global stage. Since the Superhuman world largely revolved around the strong, words spoken by someone with great power tended to carry weight. That’s why his words now had a certain degree of credibility.

‘There could be backlash.’

The possibility of a worldwide, massive Gate Break threatening humanity’s existence — just hearing about such a possibility would surely cause some to deny and react negatively.

In a way, it was only natural. Gates were no longer seen just as threats — they were now considered places that supplied an alternative resource called magic stones, spat out byproducts from monsters, and functioned like a farm that helped raise the ranks of Superhumans.

For such Gates to potentially threaten humanity’s existence — it was something people didn’t want to imagine, let alone believe. The doubt, denial, and backlash that followed were inevitable.

But among those who showed backlash, there was one who was more persistent than Sungshik had expected.

“Guys, you know Qyrmin, right?”

Kim Ramjwi spoke while looking at the chat window.

[Ah. lol I had a feeling.]
[That psycho’s at it again. Picking a fight with Sungshik?]
[Knew it was probably him;]
[No Superhuman ever gained anything good from getting involved with that guy…]

The viewers’ reactions had a clear reason.

Qyrmin. One of the most infamous bad-mannered users in the community. He went around leaving aggressive comments on any post he didn’t like, picking fights with everyone.

If he were just a troll who picked fights, he could have been ignored.

But he was Boris the Beast — World Rank 16.

That’s right. He was one of the rare 7-star Superhumans and one of the strongest, ranking 16th in the world. As his alias implied, he was as wild as a beast. His title came from how he looked like a beast in actual battle.

That wildness showed even when he was using the community.

[lol what? You’re saying Gates like that will happen again? Are you a god or something? How would you know and tell us to prepare or not?]
[lmao. Talking about humanity being threatened — did you read too many comics or something? Isn’t this just fear-mongering?]
[“Best Superhuman.” lol A guy who just made it to the bottom of the rankings acting all cocky? Got lucky with a high-grade trait and a [Myth] grade weapon, and now he’s full of himself.]
[Let’s be real — it’s all because of that weapon, right? Without that [Myth] grade sword, there’s no way he could’ve shown that kind of destructive power.]

Boris blatantly picked a fight. The meaning was clear.

“Guys, I think he’s trying to start another ‘real fight’ again.”

Real fight.

Boris didn’t just stop at provocation. If someone took the bait, he’d use it as justification to demand a ‘real fight’ — an actual in-person duel.

It wasn’t just a duel. The Winner Takes It All. A fight where the victor claimed everything.

That’s how it was. Until now, he had trampled countless Superhumans this way — taking their items, and even their lives.

[Wow, he’s serious this time.]
[It’s best not to get involved with him. Just avoid him.]
└Yeah, it’s not because we’re scared of crap, it’s because it’s dirty.

└Seems more like fear though.

└Honestly, he’s been doing this stuff forever. The experience gap is too big. VS Superhuman battles are no joke when it comes to experience.

They were right. VS Superhuman battles were vastly different from VS monster fights. If two were of similar ranks, the difference in combat power from experience alone could be significant. Sungshik had only just reached 7-stars. He naturally lacked combat experience.

Meanwhile, Boris had survived since the early days of the Great Cataclysm and made it to the top. He had been doing this from the beginning. The experience he had accumulated was immense.

That’s why Boris was considered powerful enough to rank among the top few when it came to VS Superhuman battles. The reason he had survived despite all his bad behavior and acts of plundering under the guise of ‘real fights’ was purely because of his overwhelming power.

Because of that, the viewers of Kim Ramjwi’s stream didn’t want Sungshik to get involved with Boris. No matter how strong Sungshik had shown himself to be this time, Boris was still one of the world’s top-tier Superhumans.

Some even said that in terms of VS Superhuman combat, he might be on par with the Sword Emperor or Martial Emperor. That’s why avoiding him was seen as the smart move.

“I really hope our Sungshik hyung just ignores this kind of low-grade provocation.”

[Seriously, don’t get involved.]
[Now’s the time to walk the flower path — why is that guy clinging to him, ugh.]
[But honestly, couldn’t he win if they fought?]
└Yeah, I think so too. They’re both 7-star, and he has a [Myth] grade weapon. Doesn’t seem like he’d lose.]

Many thought that even if they fought, there was no way Sungshik would lose, especially with the bonus from the weapon.

“Still, the best thing is to not get involved at all.”

Many agreed with Kim Ramjwi’s words. They just wanted Sungshik to stay away from Boris.

[These kinds of comments are a bit unpleasant. Let’s keep it in moderation.]
“That’s enough.”

Boris inwardly cheered. He had been wondering what to do if Sungshik didn’t respond, but he had left a comment.

[What’s unpleasant? It’s not like I said anything wrong, right? Ah~ I guess you're uncomfortable because I said too many right things? I mean, isn’t that true? If I had a [Myth] rank artifact, I probably would’ve shown even better performance, don’t you think?]

He immediately attributed all of Sungshik’s accomplishments to the [Myth] rank artifact.

Then someone asked: If that’s the case, then why did the Sword Emperor, who also had a [Myth] rank artifact, kill fewer enemies than Sungshik?

[That’s because the Sword Emperor was holding back in the fight. Isn’t it obvious he wasn’t going all out? If he had gone all in like that guy, he would've swept them all solo already.]

As he lightly answered that question, someone else chimed in.

[Then how about you two settle it in a PvP? LOL Qyrmin, wasn’t your specialty PvP? Why aren’t you suggesting it this time? Chickening out? LOL]

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Upon seeing that comment, Boris shouted, “Nice assist!” He had been waiting for someone to say it.

[Ah, LOL I’d love to, but that [Myth] rank artifact is a total cheat, right? LOL If he didn’t have that artifact, I’d just crush him. Isn’t that right, Heo Sungshik? You can’t do without that artifact, right?]

A powerful provocation. Now, if Sungshik responded, it would all go as planned.

[Haah, I’ll block you now.]

“Huh? What the f***, that’s not how it’s supposed to go.”

He was flustered by Sungshik’s unexpected response. He quickly left another comment.

[What? Seriously scared now? LOL Freakin’ coward. I was thinking we could have a PvP match, but guess you don’t even have the guts for that? If you're really pissed, then go all in and fight me. LOL Oh, and obviously you’ll have to put that sword down—it's a cheat item.]

“Bite, damn it. If he ignores even this, he’s really got no balls.”

As he anxiously waited for Sungshik’s reply—

[Come to Korea and contact me through the Superhuman Association.]

Sungshik accepted the PvP. At that moment, Boris let out an evil grin.

“It’s done.”

This time, he would rip Sungshik apart and savor his blood. As a bonus, the [Myth] rank artifact would follow.

There was one thing no one knew. People thought he only had one trait: the instinct of a [SS Rank] beast. But in reality, he was a dual trait holder.

His second trait was [SSS Rank] Survival of the Fittest. The weak are devoured by the strong. Quite literally.

It was a trait that allowed him to grow stronger by killing his opponent and absorbing the blood that spouted from their heart. Especially when consuming the blood of someone as strong or stronger than himself, the increase in power was even more dramatic.

It wasn’t that the strong survived—it was that those who survived became strong. That’s why he had lured countless Superhumans into PvP matches, killed them, and grown stronger. A golden tower built upon the blood of countless Superhumans. That was Boris’ true identity.

After reaching 7 Stars, he hit a wall. He could no longer gain power from the blood of those weaker than him.

Those at his level were mostly already affiliated with clans or were prominent figures. That’s why, just as he was stagnating, an appetizing new prey caught his eye.

Korea. A weak nation of Superhumans. A land with no Superhuman factions or clans to protect him.

And a guy who had just reached 7 Stars. No matter how much of an EX rank trait he had, he wouldn’t be able to beat Boris.

The sheer amount of experience Boris had built up in Superhuman vs Superhuman combat was on another level. Sungshik’s mana output might look high, but he didn’t seem like a real threat. In Superhuman duels, high mana alone wasn’t enough to win.

‘The one concern is that [Myth] rank artifact, but if I can neutralize that, it’s an easy win.’

The reason for his confidence?

‘The Guardian Necklace of Nivas.’ It was a [Legendary] rank artifact. A top-tier anti-magic item with a +60 resistance to mana.

‘That guy’s attacks are mostly attribute-based. As long as I seal those, it’s my overwhelming victory.’

Boris was more meticulous than he appeared. He had carefully analyzed Sungshik’s combat footage and had enough reason to believe in his chances, which is why he set the stage.

‘Looks like he’s learned some high-level martial arts… but he’s still just prey.’

He had seen plenty of people come forward claiming they’d mastered martial arts. But most of them were only concerned with imitating forms. It didn’t look any different from a game character spamming skills.

Against someone like him, who had honed a real combat style through countless actual battles and the heightened senses of the ‘Beast’s Instinct’, martial arts specialists were no more than toys.

‘Except for monsters like the Sword Emperor or the Martial Emperor, those who rely on martial arts are all just hollow shells.’

That’s why he was confident. This time would be no different. He grinned cruelly and continued typing his comments.

“Qyrmin, huh.”

Sungshik knew who that was. Before the regression, he had gained infamy as a ‘Superhuman Hunter.’

‘He was actively operating after the Gate Break.’

Indeed. That guy had taken advantage of the chaos after the Gate Break to hunt Superhumans weaker than himself.

‘He was like a cancer.’

He was a Superhuman affiliated with Russia. After the Gate Break, he crossed into China and Korea, committing atrocities wherever he went.

There was even an incident where he wiped out several mid-to-small-sized groups in the northern region of the Korean Peninsula post-Gate Break.

It was only later that Sungshik learned that one of the Superhumans killed by that man had just awakened an ‘SSS Rank’ trait.

In the end, the guy’s misdeeds were put to an end when the Sword Emperor beheaded him.

But by then, he had already killed over a hundred Superhumans. Humanity had lost many potential fighters who could have stood against the Nights of Trial.

So when the guy picked a fight with him, Sungshik actually welcomed it. It gave him a legitimate reason to cut the guy down.

At present, Boris was undoubtedly a formidable opponent. Even so, Sungshik didn’t think he would lose.

“This is a perfect chance to see how much stronger I’ve gotten.”

Thinking about how much of his power would work against Boris made his heart race. He was, without a doubt, a battle maniac who enjoyed fighting.

And so, the long-dreaded duel between Sungshik and Boris was set to happen.